Food

On my way to work this morning, I saw something that broke my heart and really gave me pause to consider how grateful I am for food! The food pantry is on my way to work and I saw a line of people stretched back out to the sidewalk. I am glad that people in need have places to go to obtain food such as the food pantry and the Bishop's Storehouse, but I'm not naive enough to think that all who need these services receive them.

I read a news story today about some 6th graders who learned about world hunger. There were approximately 60 students who participated in a "hunger banquet." There were about 10 students in the higher income level who received a full meal including dessert and they were served by a waiter. Twenty kids who were in the middle income level were able to eat rice and beans from a buffet and the lowest income level kids received only 1 cup of rice and had to eat it with their hands while sitting on the floor.

Sure I've been hungry before, but I've never been starving. I've never been without access to nutritious and filling food. We used to kind of laugh at the way Grandma Kingsford would clean her plate. We loved being able to give her the turkey carcass after dinner because that woman could find every last piece of edible meat on there. She never wasted anything (sometimes to a fault). This woman would put half a Big Mac in the fridge to eat the next day if she wasn't able to finish it. I know I should follow Grandma Kingsford's example more and be careful with how much I waste.